Questions still abound in UCLA’s secondary, a unit that lost all four starters and returns few upperclassmen.

The group does have talent, however, and a starting lineup is nearly solidified: at safety, Anthony Jefferson and Randall Goforth, with five combined starts; at corner, Ishmael Adams, who played two games in 2012 before season-ending shoulder surgery.

The most unlikely of the quartet is sophomore Fabian Moreau.

The Florida native had played running back for most of his life. As a senior at Western High, near Ft. Lauderdale, he ran for 889 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tacking an additional seven touchdowns and 416 yards through the air, he was named All-County by both the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Miami Herald.

But once he arrived at UCLA, the staff decided to switch him to cornerback. A talented but raw athlete, he had little knowledge of cover technique and struggled with backpedaling.

“He looked like a person who had never played defense in his life,” Goforth said.

So Moreau worked. After every Bruins practice, he began staying an extra 5-10 minutes to try and refine his footwork and backpedaling. Coaches noticed a change late in the 2012 season. Toward the end of spring camp, assistant Demetrice Martin said Moreau looked comfortable at the position, finally gaining some “corner swag.”

Over the summer, he enlisted both Adams and Goforth to help him progress even more. The trio would go out to Spaulding Field after lifting sessions, practicing together for roughly half an hour. Goforth called Moreau the hardest worker he’s ever met.

Head coach Jim Mora praised him for his athletic arrogance and ability to put bad plays behind him. Moreau’s background on offense, Mora added, may still be helping: “He can find the ball in the air quickly and he can make a play on it. That’s really what it comes down to, is winning at the moment of truth. He does that.”

The real test will come Aug. 31, when UCLA opens its season at the Rose Bowl against Nevada.

Legendary Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault retired in December, but his replacement Brian Polian is keeping the program’s trademark pistol offense intact. Last year, Cody Fajardo passed for 2,786 yards and rushed for over 1,121. Only two quarterbacks in the country bested him in both marks; one was Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

“I just put it in my mindset that I’m coming in to make an impression, so that I can be one of the best corners in the nation,” Moreau said. “I’m still working hard to be that.”

Barr still sidelined

Linebacker Anthony Barr returned to practice Thursday afternoon, but did not participate two days after suffering an undisclosed head injury. The All-American wore a jersey, but was not in full pads or cleats. He walked to the locker room midway through the session, but returned to the field in less than an hour.

After colliding with a teammate Tuesday night, Barr was led to the sideline by a trainer. He vomited on the turf before being taken out of the facility. He was not present at UCLA’s Wednesday practice.

Mora did not give a timeline for Barr’s full return.

Bruin bits

Senior defensive end Cassius Marsh missed practice Thursday with the flu. … Mora said the goofiest positions unit, in his experience, is the offensive line. When he did bed checks before UCLA’s 2012 season opener against Rice, he found all the linemen in one room — shirtless, and farting. … Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs rolled up to Spaulding Field in a black Maybach. His entourage trailed behind in a black Cadillac Escalade. His son, Justin Combs, is a redshirt freshman cornerback.

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.

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